Two South African Airways women pilots made history by becoming the first black female pilots to fly together for the first time. Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi comprised the entire cockpit of an SAA flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, a major milestone for the revamped carrier in its 88 years of existence.

Captain Vundla is also SAA’s first Black African Female Captain and First Officer Moreetsi is not only a seasoned and experienced pilot, but also the first Black African Management Pilot as she is also responsible for Fatigue Risk Management at the airline.

SAA Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, said, “This is a milestone in the transformation of our national carrier. The airline continues to show leadership in transforming the aviation sector and overcoming inequalities in scarce skills and employment opportunities.”

 
The Star Alliance carrier, noted that its ethnicity count includes 63% Africans, 11% Coloureds, 10.5% Indians and 15.5% Whites.

“South Africans can feel proud of a national carrier that is truly represented of our diversity and we celebrate that. SAA is a non-discriminatory, non-racial, equal opportunities employer with a strategic transformational role,” says SAA Executive for Human Resources, Mrs Mpho Letlape.